Moving to Spain comes down to five decisions, best taken in this order: your legal status (which depends on your passport, not on where you live now), your paperwork (the NIE number and town-hall registration), your healthcare cover, your tax position — and only then the home itself. This guide walks through all five, with links to our detailed guides where a topic deserves its own deep dive.
Your route depends on your passport, not your country
The single most important fact about moving to Spain: everything follows from citizenship. An EU, EEA or Swiss passport makes the move an administrative formality. Any other passport — British, American, or anything else — means choosing a visa route first.
EU, EEA or Swiss citizens
You do not need a visa or any permission to move. The sequence is short: arrive, get your NIE number, and within three months of taking up residence register as a resident (the green Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión) and at your town hall (empadronamiento). You will need to show either work, or sufficient means plus health cover. That is essentially the entire legal side of the move.
Everyone else: three realistic visa routes
Since the Golden Visa ended in April 2025, buying property no longer grants residency by itself. The routes that remain in 2026:
| Route | Who it fits | Income requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Nomad Visa | Remote employees and freelancers with non-Spanish clients | ~€2,850/month (200% of the Spanish minimum wage) |
| Non-lucrative visa | Retirees and anyone living on passive income | ~€2,400/month (~€28,800/year), no work allowed |
| Work or study permits | A Spanish job offer or enrolment | Set by the contract or course |
Both headline routes can lead to permanent residency after five years and, for most nationalities, citizenship after ten. Income thresholds move each year with the Spanish minimum wage — treat the figures above as 2026 orientation, and check the current numbers in the linked guides before you file.
The paperwork, in the order it actually happens
Whatever your passport, the practical checklist is the same, and half of it can be done before you arrive:
- NIE number — the foreigner's ID number Spain uses for everything: contracts, banking, taxes, buying a home. You can get it at a Spanish consulate in your country before the move, or in Spain, typically within one to three weeks. The state fee is €12. Full walkthrough in our NIE guide.
- Apostilles and sworn translations — birth and marriage certificates, criminal-record checks and diplomas from your home country need an apostille and, for most procedures, a sworn Spanish translation. Order these before you fly; they are the slowest documents to fix later.
- A Spanish bank account — needed for utilities, rent and any purchase. Most banks open non-resident accounts with a passport and NIE.
- Empadronamiento — registration at your town hall once you have an address. It unlocks public healthcare, school places and residency paperwork, and starts the clock on many rights.
Rent first or buy straight away?
The honest default is to rent for the first months in the exact area you shortlisted — and treat it as paid research. But the numbers deserve a clear look: idealista's affordability data puts renting in Alicante at 38% of household income against 27% for buying, an 11-point gap that has been widening, not closing. And the pattern is not an Alicante quirk: province-wide, renting absorbs 58% of household income in Málaga — the Costa del Sol — and 48% in the Balearics, the steepest rental markets in Spain. A long trial rental is not a neutral waiting room; it has a measurable price.
If you already know the coast and plan to stay for years, buying early is a defensible financial decision — walk through the step-by-step buying process and budget the full 10–13% in purchase costs on top of the price. If you will need a loan, Spanish banks typically lend to non-residents at 60–70% of the value: our mortgage guide for foreigners covers terms, and the mortgage calculator turns them into a monthly figure.
Healthcare: what covers you, and when
Spain's public healthcare is highly regarded and, once you are a legal resident working or paying social security, you are covered. Until then, the cover depends on your situation:
- Visa applicants (Digital Nomad, non-lucrative) must show full private health insurance from a company operating in Spain — no co-payments, no waiting periods. Budget roughly €50–150 per person per month depending on age.
- EU citizens can use an EHIC card only for temporary stays — it is not valid once you actually reside in Spain. After registering, you either work (and join social security), use the S1 route if you receive a qualifying state pension (next point), or take private cover.
- State pensioners eligible for the S1 route transfer their healthcare rights to Spain — Spain then treats you as a public patient.
- Long-term residents without work can later join the public system by paying the convenio especial, a monthly buy-in run by the regions.
Taxes: the 183-day line
Spend more than 183 days a year in Spain and you will normally become a Spanish tax resident — days are the main test, though economic and family ties in Spain can also trigger residency — taxed on worldwide income, with rates and rules described in our Spanish property and residence tax guide. Three planning points matter before the move, not after:
First, the calendar: your residency status is set per calendar year, so the month you move changes your first tax year. Second, double-taxation treaties: Spain has them with most countries, so the same income is not normally taxed twice, but pensions, rentals and dividends each follow their own article — get professional advice on your specific mix. Third, new arrivals who move for work may qualify for the Beckham regime — a flat 24% on Spanish employment income for up to six years, instead of progressive rates.
Where the move lands: choosing your coast
Most of our readers choose between two coasts, and the differences are real: the Costa Blanca vs Costa del Sol comparison covers climate, prices and character honestly. On the Costa Blanca, our area-by-area guide matches towns to profiles — families, remote workers, retirees — and every area page links the current available homes in that town.
Moving from the UK: the post-Brexit specifics
British citizens now follow the non-EU path: the 90-days-in-180 rule limits visa-free stays, so an actual move means one of the visa routes above — for most, Digital Nomad or non-lucrative. Three UK-specific notes. State pensioners keep NHS-funded healthcare in Spain via the S1 form — apply before the move. A UK driving licence can be exchanged for a Spanish one without a re-test, thanks to the bilateral agreement — start the exchange within six months of residency. And the UK–Spain double-taxation treaty means most pensions are taxed in Spain once you are resident, not twice; how much depends on the pension type, so take advice before choosing your moving date.
The realistic timeline
From decision to keys, a typical move looks like this: two to three months for documents (apostilles, NIE, visa application if you need one), one to two months for the visa decision itself, then the move — and empadronamiento, bank, healthcare registration in the first weeks on the ground. Buying a home fits either side of the move: many of our clients complete a purchase remotely by power of attorney before arriving, others rent first and buy within the year. There is no single right order — but there is a right order for the paperwork, and it is the one above.
